The first trailer for The Happytime Murders made quite the impression when it dropped back in May, but now that the movie is just a few short weeks away from hitting theaters nationwide, it’s time to take the promotional push to another level – a shockingly realistic level. Last night I spent some time at The InkHole, a pop-up bar in Hollywood that offered attendees the opportunity to grab a drink and essentially step into the world of The Happytime Murders, a version of Los Angeles where puppets and humans coexist.

The movie stars Melissa McCarthy as Connie Edwards, a detective trying to figure out who’s responsible for a string of puppet murders targeting the former cast of a beloved classic children’s show, The Happytime Gang. She’s forced to work with a puppet named Phil Philips (played by puppeteer Bill Barretta), and their investigation leads them to a bunch of curious individuals and questionable places, and The Inkhole basically dropped me right in the middle of it.

In addition to the bar itself, there was a puppet peep show, a sex shop, a blackjack table, a room where you could get your “sugar fix,” and incredible production design across the board but what really made The InkHole an exceptional addition to the film’s marketing push were the actors – those manipulating and voicing the puppets, and also the human characters peppered throughout the experience.

So hats off to them and the team responsible for putting this whole thing together. Now fingers crossed the final feature will capture the same hilarious, crude and highly immersive magic when it hits theaters on August 24th. For more on The Happytime Murders, check out the links to Christina’s set visit articles below in addition to a whole batch of photos from The InkHole.